Green bean casserole will be present on most Thanksgiving tables this week, but nothing beats homemade green bean casserole.

Frozen green beans and sautéed mushroom soup swaps out the typical canned ingredients. And the best part, the crispy, crunchy, preservative free topping. The onions take a little love (or patience) but are so worth it. They almost disappeared before making it onto the casserole. I recommend not taste testing because of that reason.

I could honestly skip the turkey, potatoes and pie this year and just eat this savory, creamy casserole. Okay, maybe not forfeit the pie. Happy Thanksgiving!

1. Mushroom Base: Thaw green beans. Chop mushrooms into 1/4″ cubes and sauté over medium heat with olive oil, sea salt and pepper (until they begin to sweat about 3-5 minutes). Add garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes longer. Add flour (I used Trader Joe’s AP gluten free flour blend) to mushrooms and stir to coat evenly. Add the vegetable broth a 1/2 cup at a time, whisking frequently with a fork. Once all broth has been added, cook 1 more minute. Stir in coconut milk and simmer. Cook until the sauce thickens, stirring often (approximately 5-6 minutes). Once thickened, remove from heat and mix with green beans; add additional sea salt and pepper if needed. Pour bean mixture into a greased 11″ x 7″ baking dish, set aside.

2. Crispy Onions: Cut onions in half lengthwise and peel outer layer. Using a sharp knife thinly slice onions. Place cut onions on paper towel and pat to remove excess moisture. Place flour, seasonings and dried onions in zip bag and shake to coat evenly. Shake off excess flour and fry onions on stove top (just until lightly browned) in grapeseed oil in small batches to prevent burning. Set aside on a paper towel, lightly covered with another paper towel to prevent soggy onions.

Make ahead tip: The day before serving assemble casserole through step one, cover and refrigerate. Complete step two half way, slice onions, dry and refrigerate. Mix flour and seasonings, keep sealed in air tight zip bag. Fry onions the day of baking and complete step three.

A healthier alternative for the high fat, sodium soup laden and processed green bean casserole. We made this in a recent healthy holiday cooking class I taught and it received rave, rave reviews by all. Students were doubtful at first glance. Could this really substitute the beloved casserole topped with crunchy onions?

But it happened, like landing a man on the moon. I love that – when eyes and taste buds light up in joyful realization and amazement of a classic dish re-purposed to enjoyably healthy. You also cook these up on the stove top (in 12 minutes), which equals more room in your oven Thanksgiving day.

You’ll be surprised at the stats on PF Chang’s Crispy Green Bean appetizer/side, which is today’s healthy remake numero tres. My husband Klint has been known to eat this whole dish as his appetizer until I revealed the numbers to him. Let’s get right to it, here’s the challenge…

This dish is a great example of what I like to call “healthy-fat” foods. That’s any product or recipe that is not the best option (sometimes the most awful) on a menu or at the grocery store but disguised as a nutritious choice. Other examples can be yogurt, granola and smoothies (some containing as much sugar as a soda) or salads at a restaurant nutritionally worse than a cheeseburger and fries.

That leads me to nutrition tip #3: Always read the labels. Whether at the market or out to eat it is a good idea to check the nutrition information if unsure what you are going to put into your body. When going to a restaurant look the menu up online before hand and narrow your options down to 1 or 2 and stick to them. That way you can enjoy the experience without making an impulsive, or uninformed bad for you selection. Here are the remake stats…

We have an abundance of gardens in our new neighborhood. Over the weekend I received a bag of fresh picked, long, snap green beans from a lovely family down the street. Thinking through the normal recipes for these olive colored vegetables, I couldn’t help but go a different direction from steaming or sautéing as a side dish. And why not make pasta, right?

Sautéing or roasting vegetables with olive oil enhances flavor and texture. I added some sweet corn, juicy tomatoes and lean Italian chicken sausage to make a healthy, filling main dish. When craving pasta, and trying to lose or maintain weight, use smaller portions of pasta and more vegetables and lean meat in your recipe. Just as satisfying with fewer calories.

Farmer’s markets are still up and running this season. Pop by your local stands and pick up fresh ingredients for this easy, nutritious weeknight or weekend dish.

FARMER’S MARKET PASTA with SAUSAGE & FRESH HERBS

serves 6

Pasta:

2 tsp OLIVE OIL, EXTRA VIRGIN

2 LEAN CHICKEN SAUSAGE LINKS, ITALIAN

3 cups FRESH GREEN BEANS, ends trimmed and cut into bite size pieces

1 1/2 cup CHERRY TOMATOES, halved

1 1/2 cup CORN, FRESH or FROZEN, thawed

4 cloves GARLIC, minced

4 slices TURKEY BACON, cooked and crumbled

6 oz ANGEL HAIR PASTA, WHOLE WHEAT

4 oz FRESH MOZZARELLA CHEESE, cubed

Sauce:

1/4 cup RESERVED PASTA WATER

1/4 cup TOMATO, SUN DRIED, PACKED IN OIL

1/2 LEMON, JUICED

2 tsp OLIVE OIL, EXTRA VIRGIN

SEA SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE

2 tbsp BASIL, FRESH, (or 1 Tbsp dried)

1 tsp FRESH ROSEMARY, chopped, (or 1/2 tsp dried)

1 tbsp FRESH PARSLEY, chopped, (or 2 tsp dried)

1 tsp FRESH THYME, removed from stem, (or 1/2 tsp dried)

6 tbsp FRESH PARMESAN CHEESE, SHREDDED

1. In a large skillet brown and crumble chicken sausage (casing removed) in 2 tsp olive oil. Place in a large bowl and set aside. In same skillet sauté green beans, corn and onion until golden brown and crisp-tender, about 5-7 minutes, adding garlic, salt and pepper the last 2 minutes of cooking time.